The Packers tried to trade for Zaire Franklin in the past
The Green Bay Packers tried to trade for Zaire Franklin before he was even a starter in Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - OCTOBER 05: Indianapolis Colts Linebacker Zaire Franklin (44) looks on during the NFL game between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Indianapolis Colts on October 5, 2025, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images The Green Bay Packers have had their eyes on linebacker Zaire Franklin for some time now, according to general manager Brian Gutekunst. Gutekunst spoke to the press at the NFL league meetings this week, which included this quote about Franklin (h/t The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman): We’ve liked Zaire for a while.
Quite frankly, back when he was not starting in Indy, his first few years, he was a really good special teams player; we kind of tried to acquire him then. He’s been a really good player for a long time. Obviously, a really good leader as well, captain there.
So, as we kind of went down and realized it was going to be really tough to get Quay [Walker] back, I wanted to make sure we had an answer at middle linebacker. Brian Gutekunst said he tried to trade for Zaire Franklin back when he wasn’t a starter and mainly a special teams player. Clearly very fond of the new Packers LB.
“Been a really good player for a long time. ” pic. twitter.